Oooh! This one was cute!

I love that the characters didn't have 'traditional' jobs.
What a unique idea to start writing with.

I loved the banter, the Irish verbiage, and the intimate scenes.
The two characters had great chemistry.

I do feel I connected more to the MMC than the FMC.
Not exactly sure what it was, maybe she was too dry for me?

Overall the story was well written and I would 100% pick up more of ivy's work!

Morbidly Yours is a quirky romance that blends humor and heart against the dynamics of life, death, and second chances. Callum Flannelly, a brooding mortician, must marry to inherit the family business but is challenged when Lark Thompson, a feisty American, enters his life.

Their budding friendship turns into undeniable chemistry, making it impossible to deny their connection. Their connections simmer off each page, and I sometimes yelled just to admit their feelings. The slow-burn aspect was definitely in full play. Callum and Lark's friendship is filled with humor, passion, and compassion. Overall, this was a good story that kept my attention. I found myself smiling at the end.

This book had so much more depth than I had expected. Yes, it’s a fun and charming rom-com with some really hot spice, but it also handle death and grieving in a way that feels real. And Lark’s workplace harassment added yet another layer that I wasn’t expecting. I expected something light and fluffy but came away with one of the most satisfying books I’ve read in a long time.

This book was a super fun read! I dont know what I expected going into this book but I loved it!


The MMC is a mortician who will be losing his funeral home if he does not get married due to a clause in his grandpa’s will. The FMC is a widow who moved to Ireland for work. The two become neighbors and as they get to know each other, the friends to lovers trope is perfected

What a sweet book! I devoured it while giving my Irish accent a go! It was an easy, fast-paced read with wonderful character development. There are some steamy moments as well.

Lark has moved to Ireland for a job where she finds herself living next to a funeral home where she meets Callum, the undertaker. Lark is the sunshine to his grumpiness. They quickly become friends as she helps him try to save his family business.

Lark and Callum have great chemistry. Both are very patient and understanding. I love their banter and how open they become with one another. The side characters we meet are fun and endearing. Overall, this was such a fun read. I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Ivy Fairbanks for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very impressed with this debut novel! I was intrigued by the cover alone and the name of the novel. This was such a fun read and it was written so well, and I love when there is an accent involved 😉.
Watching these two both fall for each other and how it happened I just loved it! I found both of the characters to be very funny and they had me laughing more than once. Lark is very witty and outgoing whereas Callum is shy and very reserved, and seeing Lark get him out of his shell was perfect! I cannot wait to ready more by this author!

Thank you to Putnam for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Lark has just moved to Galway, Ireland for a job and to run away from her life in the US after her husband's death. She thinks she is moving in next to a cute little bed and breakfast. But it turns out to be a funeral home. Callum, the mortician, needs to get married within a few months or he will lose the business.

When a book is told in first person, I get quite annoyed by choices to not let us, the readers, know what the motivation and past experiences of the first person narrator are. In this case, we regularly were reminded that Lark was shaped by her husband's death and especially its circumstances. But those circumstances were withheld. The longer it lasted, the more annoyed I was.

But some aspects of the story were so charming. I loved the characters that Lark met, both at work and in the grocery story. The descriptions her animations were charming. And while the behavior of a co-worker was horrifying, it added great depth to the plot and her character arc.

I really appreciated Callum's chapters. I appreciated the demisexual representation for Callum. I hadn't known to expect it, and it was incredibly well done. There was a bit more detail for his job than I needed, and I even skimmed a couple of the sections about embalming.

I greatly appreciated the ending and felt the book improved the more I read.

CW: death and grief, misogyny

I really struggled to get into this book. I just couldn't connect with the characters and the pacing felt slow. I think this was more of a case of right book, wrong reader, so I would still encourage others to check out this book! I think this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little different from what I usually read but Morbidly Yours was a pretty good friends-to-lovers story. This grumpy sunshine story was filled with great banter and humor there was a lot of fun sarcastic moments.

This book was just not for me. I wasn’t finding any connection between Lark and Callum. And I know that the book is named Morbidly Yours but sheesh with all the very descriptive embalming techniques. For me a book that is dubbed romance needs more connection and a bit less gore.

I really really liked this one. It was such an original story to me! Maybe not the story itself but aspects of the story. The characters were great. I can't say I have read a book with a mortician or a cartoon artist as the main character before- LOVED. I am debating whether I should call Callum a grump or not. He was just more introverted I think. But man was Lark his true sunshine. The way that he opened up and started feeling more confident. Lark was on the struggle bus understandably. She had never dealt with the grief that came from her husband's passing. She did what most people would do and ran to somewhere new where no one knew her. She wanted to start over, but her heart was cutoff forever. Until she meets Callum and it starts beating again. This book made me over the moon happy. I found myself smiling and giddy almost the whole time. Their first spicy scene was SO HOT- read it and you''ll understand. I just love how GOOD they were for each other. How they found each other at the perfect time.

Lark has moved to Galway. She knows no one, but she is excited for this adventure. Until she realizes that she has moved next door to a funeral home. Albeit a funeral home with a hot mortician who she finds herself drawn to for some reason. She likes his quirkiness. He doesn't seem weirded out by how she is. She wants to get to know him. But she won't cross any lines- she can't open herself up the way she did with Reese. It was just too hard. So friends it is. But then Callum tells her about his problem- he needs to get married to keep his business. Instead of offering her services, she devotes herself to finding him a partner. Throughout all of her tutoring though, she finds herself enjoying life more than she has in a long time. She finds herself WANTING things she hasn't wanted in a long time. She wants Cal. Maybe if they get it out of their system they can move on. She has to set the expectation that she will not be his wife. Maybe they can be friends with benefits? I mean what could possibly go wrong besides acknowledging the growing feelings and thing that is growing on the daily between them. Absolutely nothing- right??

Callum is confused. He has been working at his family's funeral home for forever and now that his granda has passed there are hoops to jump through in order for him to take over. He has to get married. He has to ensure that the family legacy will continue. What does that look like for someone who hasn't been on a date in 6 years? For someone who is content in their existence. But then everything changes when Lark moves in next door. She is legit sunshine. She is rainbows. She is flowers and smiles and everything that Cal isn't. He is instantly interested but when she makes it clear that they can only be friends he decides that he will have to start looking for a wife. The problem? Every time he is out on a date, he finds himself wondering what Lark is doing. He wants more than she can give him. So when she offers herself up on a platter with no strings what can he say besides yes. But now the deadline is looming and so he decides to throw caution to the wind and take a chance with Lark. What could possibly go wrong?

I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a slower kind of burn with some NICE heat. I enjoyed the found family in this one as well. Just overall a really fun read! I was excited to see that this is going to be a series and am thinking Lo and Aidan for book 2?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Morbidly Yours is a friends-to-lovers story.

Lark lost her husband in a tragic accident and moves to Galway in order to escape her grief. Callum is a shy undertaker who needs to marry in order to inherit his family business. What follows is a story of friendship, grief and choosing to love after loss.

Book 22 of 2024 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Ivy Fairbanks for an ARC of Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks in exchange for my honest review.

The moment I read a description of Morbidly Yours on NetGalley, I saved it. In an attempt to get my review percentage higher, I kept putting off requesting an ARC (silly me), until I finally read a preview of it on the Libby App and knew I couldn’t wait any longer.

Morbidly Yours is a dual POV, friends-to-lovers & grumpy/sunshine rom-com told from both Callum Flannelly & Lark Thompson’s perspectives. Callum is an shy, Irish mortician who generally prefers the company of his work to other people until Lark, a vivacious animator from Austin, TX, moves in next door. Both are dealing with loss, albeit different types of loss, and find comfort in each other. Fairbanks makes you love her characters instantly - Lark is wonderful as the FMC, but we must protect Callum, the MMC, AT ALL COSTS.

The representation in this book was another highlight. I can’t remember reading a book with a main character (Callum at this juncture) who has stutter, and it’s treated with the utmost care. Callum is also demisexual. We have additional LGBTQIA+ rep in one of Lark’s co-workers who’s non-binary and Callum & Lark’s friend Maeve, an older lesbian woman. We have diversity in race and ethnicity with Cielo & Anvi, just to name a couple…I can’t wait for Cielo’s story next. A Latina from Texas in Ireland, finding her match? Sign me up!!

The open door scenes were so well-done - kudos to Fairbanks! 🌶️

5/5 ⭐️, 2.5/5 🌶️ - Callum is a new favorite book boyfriend. Ivy Fairbanks is going to be an auto-buy author. I’m so glad TikTok made this book a sensation - I’m already ready for book 2, and I hope Fairbanks gets to a book tour! 🍀 ✍🏼🐁 #NetGalley
#MorbidlyYours

Well. I certainly wasn't expecting to read this book in one sitting and stay up until 3:00 AM on a school (work) night to finish it. I'm paying for that one today, but it as worth it.

This was a lovely story about an Irish undertaker who needs to marry before he's 35 in order to keep the family business and the American expatriate looking for a fresh start after the death of her husband.

While the characters were well fleshed out and the plot line well done, there were many moments where the book lagged or had ups and downs that felt repetitive. There were many times where I even considered not finishing the book. While I think it works as a more mindless beach read kind of book, there was a lot that wasn’t as well done as it could have been that took away from the story as a whole, leaving it with a three star/just okay rating from me. It definitely has an audience, but unfortunately I don’t believe I am a part of it.

4.5 stars. If you told me that I’d adore a male character who is an undertaker as part of the family business and he handles his job in the most dignified way, but is also a demi-sexual who gets nervous at the thought of socializing, I’d say challenge accepted. And that when I finished the book, I couldn’t be more charmed by Callum Flannelly.

In the backdrop of lovely Ireland, Lark Thompson is doing a hard reset of her life and takes it upon herself to be Callum’s friend. Even better, he needs a wife to keep the family business under his ownership and what better friend objective is there for Lark than to help him find that lucky woman. I loved their chemistry because of this friendship and usually friends to lovers is not really my jam. But this friendship was special because there were no pretenses, Callum could still be his usual self and Lark was intuitive enough to know how to keep him comfortable in a safe space, but also push his boundaries. Her personality made him want to explore more and to take risks. There was just something incredibly endearing about them together.

The sarcasm and humor is on point in this one, especially the references to Callum’s job. With his profession and background, he really needed someone who brought a lot of cheer and light into his life and accepted him as is. They both have their own hurdles to overcome, especially Lark, and Galway, Ireland might just be the perfect place to call home for her after all with her job and a certain someone. I enjoyed this debut novel and look forward to more from this author, especially about some of the other characters.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag of highs and not-so-highs for me, but I ultimately enjoyed it.

First things first, my favorite thing about this book was that both characters had such unique professions. Lark being an animator was so cool to me. Callum being a mortician could have been very gimmicky, but it was portrayed beautifully with his character showing compassion, care, and honor in his family legacy. I appreciated all that his undertaking role added to his character and to the story.

I enjoyed the friendship Lark and Callum developed early on in the book. They both found something they needed in each other, even without adding in the mutual attraction. More than anything, I thought that was lovely. I like seeing them support each other in so many different ways and how they would show up for each other even when they were at odds.

Lark frustrated me a bit. I tried to put myself in her place and remind myself that I’ve blessedly never had to experience a loss like her character had. I had to find empathy as I struggled with some of her choices and her actions with Callum. As things eventually came full circle, I was relieved to see her self-reflection and resolve in moving forward.

There were some ebbs and flows with pacing for me and what made it to the “show” portions of the book and what got relegated to the “tell” part. I wish there had been a bit more time on page with Maeve. I enjoyed her character and the advice she gave, but felt like a lot of her connection with Lark was told rather than shown and I was missing that.

Overall this one kept me interested, entertained, and rooting for the characters to find their wins. I’m intrigued to read more in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s a cute & quirky romance. I’m realizing that the miscommunication (or lack of communication in this case) trope just really drives me crazy. For crying out loud, just have a conversation!!!

Anyway, the grumpy vs sunshine is always a win in my book and I enjoyed their banter and watching the relationship evolve.

It was a likeable read, but I didn’t love it.

This quirky little book now holds a very special place in my heart.

Dead people jokes - check
Sobbing over grief - check
Grump and sunshine - check
Demisexual Irish grump - check
Drained social battery - check

I received an ARC of this book and the only reason I decided to give it a shot was the title. I was like, wow I love dead people jokes. I read the trigger warnings and got a little nervous. An undertaker and a widow… but this book just worked. So many laugh out loud moments. So much visibility to accessibility. So much grief processed appropriately - both about grief of dead ones and the grief of losing someone you expect to have in your life forever. Grief can look so many different ways.

I reached out to the author yesterday and happily got a response, learning we have so much in common (chronic health, grief, etc). So glad this indie book got picked up!

~Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Faculty Lounge in exchange for an honest review. ~

I literally cannot describe how much it hurts to DNF this book. From the pun title to the adorable cover and the fun set-up, I was so damn excited for this. And what hurts even more is probably the first 75 pages of this book were going so well!

Lark’s an animator from Austin, TX who recently moved to Galway and didn’t realize her next-door neighbor is a funeral home. She’s run away for a job after her husband passed in a car crash, for which she blames herself. Callum’s an undertaker who wants to continue the family business but is being forced into marrying before his 35 birthday by his grandfather’s will. Rough thing for him, he’s demisexual and only has six months.

The opposites attract thing is fantastic and I loved the banter between these two immediately. The death and funeral home puns had me cracking up and I loved that Lark was able to weasel her way into Callum’s shell. What I didn’t love was the stupid fucking excuses of why they can’t be together. Oh my god did they seem so contrived and ridiculous. They got old SO fast.

Lark’s sworn herself to singledom and believes that she’ll kill any man who deigns to love her which, babe, please get some fucking therapy. I’d find her line of reasoning believable if her husband’s passing was fresh, but it’s been over two years and she’s still thinking this way! Callum’s forced to focus on a real romantic chance for the sake of his business, but develops feelings for Lark anyway and won’t tell her for fear of ruining their friendship. Ugh, so cliched. Then every single time they spend time together seems like a date in all but name.

I wish this would have actually taken the jump into a marriage of convenience instead of leading me to think that way and then putting a poor girl with actual feelings for Callum in the middle of the situation. I loved Callum, stutter, black clothing, dry sense of humor and all! But the leading on of another woman while lusting after Lark made me so angry.

Also, the writing around Callum’s demisexuality just… didn’t feel authentic. The coming out scene with Lark was genuinely painful and seemed like it was throwing out every stereotype asexual people have to battle. Only for him to then develop feelings for Lark rather quickly and begin lusting after her? It just didn’t really make sense. It felt like representation for the sake of representation, but not well-researched or utilized.

The pacing was odd as well with their friendship developing quite quickly and certain scenes that I think would have been really great to convince me of their growing feelings were glossed over or only referenced. Yet, the story itself was also starting to feel quite long?

I’m just so sad. So sad. I did not think I’d be writing up a rant review of this when I got an ARC from Netgalley.